Joel Kinnaman

Joel Kinnaman is in early talks to replace Tom Hardy in “Suicide Squad,” director David Ayer’s upcoming film based on the DC Comics title about a group of villains who act as mercenaries, Hero Complex has confirmed. Hardy, who brought to the screen the Batman villain Bane in “The Dark Knight Rises,” had been set to star as Rick Flagg, but scheduling commitments forced him to leave the film, which is set for release Aug. 5, 2016. David Ayer, who most recently helmed the Brad Pitt World War II tank drama “Fury,” will write and direct “Suicide Squad.” The ensemble cast includes Will Smith as Deadshot, Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Jared Leto as the Joker, Jai Courtney as Boomerang and Cara Delevingne as Enchantress. Oscar winner Leto will be the first actor to play the Joker on the big […]

Early on a recent evening on the edge of Beverly Hills, Brazilian filmmaker José Padilha was breaking into song. Seated in the ballroom of a luxury hotel with Swedish actor Joel Kinnaman, the star of his new $120-million reboot of “RoboCop,” the director was feeling mirthful about the looming release of his first Hollywood production, which arrives in a hail of CG action and automatic weapons fire just before Valentine’s Day. Padilha made a name for himself with his 2002 documentary “Bus 174,” which chronicled a gruesome hijacking in Rio de Janeiro, and a pair of ultra-violent action movies — “Elite Squad,” about a Rio special-forces unit, won the Golden Bear award at the 2008 Berlin Film Festival; its sequel, “Elite Squad: The Enemy Within,” ranks as one of the highest-grossing Brazilian films in history. “RoboCop,” a retelling of the […]

The newest trailer for next year’s “RoboCop” remake has debuted, and the clip offers a much more detailed glimpse at the world — and the politics — of Brazilian director José Padilha’s reworking of Paul Verhoeven’s 1987 satiric sci-fi film. Swedish actor Joel Kinnaman (“The Killing”) stars as police officer Alex Murphy, who is reborn as a coolly effective law enforcement machine in the wake of a car bombing, leaving him in a sort of existential limbo — he’s neither wholly man nor machine. Padilha made a name for himself on the festival circuit for his documentary filmmaking before writing and directing “Elite Squad” and its sequel “Elite Squad: The Enemy Within” — crime thrillers that became critical darlings. And he’s been explicit about his intentions to use “RoboCop” as a lens through which to examine the morality of drone […]

The first trailer for the upcoming “RoboCop” reboot is out, featuring plenty of action and a sleek new suit that pays homage to Paul Verhoeven’s 1987 sci-fi action film. Hero Complex readers get an exclusive first look at some images from the upcoming film (check them out in the gallery above), as well as some perspective from the director, José Padilha. The Brazilian director made a name for himself on the festival circuit for his documentary filmmaking before writing and directing “Elite Squad” and its sequel “Elite Squad: The Enemy Within” — crime thrillers that became critical darlings. Padilha’s first big-budget Hollywood action flick is a remake of Verhoeven’s “RoboCop,” which involves a part-man, part-robot police officer tasked with cleaning up a crime-ridden, dystopian Detroit. Verhoeven’s satiric film, which earned two Oscar nominations, was underscored by political commentary and made […]